


Reunited

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Series: Flower Tattoo Bois [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Malcolm listened to his therapist, Flower Shop Owner Gil, M/M, Tattoo Artist Malcolm, so here it is, this did no already exist in this ship and i thought that was rude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24409867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: After almost a decade of not seeing each other, Gil Arroyo and Malcolm Whitly are back in each others' lives.
Relationships: Future Gil Arroyo/Malcolm Bright, Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Gil Arroyo/Malcolm Bright
Series: Flower Tattoo Bois [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762771
Comments: 7
Kudos: 28





	Reunited

Malcolm sighed and closed his sketchbook, rubbing his eyes to chase off the fatigue. One of his clients came in today with a tall order: tattooing their late mother's garden on their back. It was a sweet gesture, the kind of work he was completely in support of. The only problem was all the reference pictures they provided were blurry. He could work with the basic structures like the paths and trellises but the flowers...not so much. Online wasn't much help since it seemed every other flower had a variation he hadn't heard of and had no clue where to start looking for.

He grabbed his jacket, figuring a walk would help. The cool night air would at least clear his head enough that he could work on something else. He brought the pictures with him since he would be closing up for the night anyhow. If anyone needed a tattoo this late, it would probably be one they'd regret.

A walk did help some, though the flower shop he found along the way helped a lot more. He could buy the flowers he needed or at least find names for reference photos.  _ Sunset Meadows…. Why does that seem so familiar? _

True to the name, they were still open, even if it was late. A little bell went off when he walked in and a cat purred by his feet. “Hey there.” He smiled and knelt down to pet her. She was definitely older and seemed more content to rest on her perch than worry about disturbing the greenery around her. There was something familiar about her too but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He walked around for a bit and found a few of the flowers he needed. He was about to head up to the counter to see if he could find the owner when he saw a much younger cat stalking toward an arrangement of lilies. “Now, where are you going?” he murmured, plucking him from his perch. “You’re not supposed to be here, are you?”

"There you are, Aristo." That voice was also very familiar.  _ Where have I heard that before? _

He turned and handed off the cat to who he assumed was the owner. "I take it he escaped?"

"Yes. He's supposed to stay in the back with his siblings but he likes breaking out to attack my flowers." The older man smiled and dropped the fugitive behind his complex baby gate jail. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”

Oh,  _ that _ was a familiar face. A bit grayer than it had been the last time he saw it but there was no doubt about it. “Gil?”

The other man’s brow crinkled in confusion. “Yes? Have we met before?”

He didn’t recognize Malcolm. Of course he didn’t; it’s been just about a decade since they’d properly seen each other. “It’s me, Malcolm. Malcolm Whitly. You used to take me on stakeouts when I was, like, twelve!” 

Ah, that sparked something. “Malcolm? Christ, how long has it been? I barely recognize you!”

After a few minutes of catching up, Mlacolm got around to doing what he came in to do. Gil had apparently gained a lot of flower knowledge over the years and was at least able to point him in the right direction for anything he didn’t currently have in the shop. For what he did have, Malcolm got a friends and family discount despite his protests. “Jackie loved you like family; take the discount, kid.”

RIght. Jackie. “I’m sorry,” he blurted. “For not coming to the funeral. There were complications with my study abroad program and-”

“Kid.”

Malcolm met his gaze sheepishly. “I know, I know, excuses don’t-”

“It’s okay. Seriously. Ainsley was there and your pictures were lovely.” He smiled and squeezed his hand. “Besides, I missed you too much to be mad at you.”

“Yeah….”  _ Classic Gil…. _ “Hey, do you want to get lunch sometime? Catch up for real? I’ll buy,” he offered. It was the least he could do. 

“I’d like that.”

\---------------------------

Gil turned off the lights and closed the shop for the night. He only kept the shop open so late because he knew Jackie would want that.  _ You never know when someone needs a bouquet. We’re saving relationships here _ . And as usual, Jackie was right in ways even she didn;t fully understand.

Seeing Malcolm again after all these years as a pleasant side effect to staying open past sundown. He couldn’t believe how much the kid had grown. He’d gotten taller, grown a proper beard, even packed on a little muscle. He was a little surprised at the choice in career but it suited him. 

He herded the cats upstairs to his little loft and started a pot of tea for his wind-down routine.He smiled at the paintings that lined his living room walls. Malcolm had sent them as an apology for not making it to Jackie’s funeral a few years ago. They were all pictures of Jackie, some portraits, some candids, all of them perfectly capturing her soul. Sometimes it felt like she never left. 

“Malcolm’s back in town,” he told her. “Been around for a while it seems. Shame we lost touch back then…. But he came to the shop today. We’re having lunch in a few days. He looks like he’s eating more now….”

It was good seeing Malcolm again. He felt...lighter, knowing that he was okay. He’d always been so worried about the kid. One less thing to give him gray hairs.

\------------------------------

Malcolm flopped down on his bed and screamed into his pillow. Yes, he had a minor crush on Gil when he was younger. Yes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yes, he was aware that they were both single. But Jackie’s death was still fresh; three years wasn’t all that long, Gil would have to stay in his dreams for now. Or maybe forever. Really, he was just happy to have a friend again. With Vijay jumping around the country with work, he got lonely.

He would have lunch with Gil in a few days and they’d get to really talk. There would be so much to talk about, they’d probably have to have at least three lunches to get through it all. Maybe more. Maybe they’d start having lunches regularly. Friends did that, right? Yeah, that sounded right.

...He was still crushing, wasn’t he?

Whatever. He was fine. He was cool. Totally fine. 100%. It was just a simple lunch da- meeting. Lunch meeting.

What could go wrong?


End file.
